Oil well mechanism



March 15, 1938. w. F. cox

OIL WELL MECHANISM Filed March 11, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HI i 1 March15, 1938. w, cox 2,111,175 I OIL WELL MECHANISM Filed March 11, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ,7 "Z'ca. 5.

Patented; Marc i5, 1%33:

w rren pre earner arr ves on WELL maneuvers William Fred can, lirving,ll'ex. implication March ill, 1936, Serial No. 68,319

9 Elaims.

This invention relates to oil well mechanisms and particularly tomechanisms or devices for facilitating flowing or oil from the well.

One object of the invention is to provide means for preventing theaccumulation or; sand or other well at a point ;where it Said pumpcarries means for sealing ofi the well adjacent the pump but saidsealing means are so arranged as to permit the working barrel of thepump to have a maximum cross sectional dimension and to be substantiallyunrestricted whereby the pump will have a maximum capacity in relationto the bore of the well. The casing of the well, of course, determinesthe over-all dimensions of any mechanisms lowered therein. For instance,the over-all dimension of apump will be determined by the diameter ofthe well casing and, while the pump provided with sealing ofi means suchas disclosed in Patent No. 1,698,797, granted to 0.13. Howe, January 15,1929, has been found to give highly satisfactory results, nevertheless,its capacity is curtailed by reason of the fact that the relativelyheavy conical, metallic core utilized for expanding the sealing sleeverequires that the diameter of the bore of the working barrel besubstantially the same as the smallest diameter of said conical member.That is, the size or diameter of the bore of the working barrel of thepump, shown in said patent, is limited to, or is less than, the maximumbore which can be provided in said conical member, the tapering surfaceof said .member being necessary for expanding the sealing sleeve. Also,in said patented pump, the upper portion of the working barrel isfurther restricted by the presence of the sucker rod which passes fromthe upper end of thetraveling valve-to the surface of the well. Anotherfactor in determining the capacity of the pumpbarrel in said patentedpump, is the size of the so-called shell on which the drain sleeve andpacker are supported, because said shell extends to the top of thebarrel and, of course, the barrel being surrounded by the shell, thediameter of the barrel must be less than that of the shell. In thepresent pump, this doubling up, so to speak, of these constrictingfactors. is overcome by locating the well sealing instmmentalities at apoint preferably below the lower limit of the working stroke of the pumpplunger, whereby the necessity of (310 Etha -219) limiting the bore ofthe working barrel by the drain sleeve supporting mall or to the maximumbore which can be used in the sleeve expending core is eliminated. Morespecifically, the presentinvention contemplates an oil well pump havinga substantially unrestricted bore in'the working barrel, which bore isof maximum diameter in combination with the sealing 03 means at thelower end of the pump and means adjacent the upper end of the pump forsubstantially closing the space between the pump exterior and thewellscasing, whereby sand and other foreign matter cannot enter thespace between the pump and casing. 1

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certaindetails of construc tion and combinations and arrangements oi parts,all. as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel featuresthereof particu larly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figures 1, 1a, constitute a vertical cross-sectional view through thewell casing, and a pump mechanism and anchoring device, illustrating thepreferred embodiment of the present inventioru the parts being in thepositions they occupy as the pump is lowered into the well; 7

Fig. 2 is a similar view, somewhat enlarged, showing the position of thesealing ofi instrumentalities when the space between the pump and casingis sealed ofi;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating theso-called sand ring;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line d--& of Fig. 1a; and VFig. 5 is a detail elevational view illustrating one of the elements forinterlocking the working barrel or 'cylinder of the pump with the pumpseal.

In the present instance the pump comprises a head it provided with abore for the polish rod H which extends to the earth surface as is wellunderstood, said rod extending through the head into the working barrell3 for reciprocating the traveling valve 52 of the pump. The lower,stationary valve of the pump is indicated at 26. The preferred form ofsealing off device is like that disclosedin the 'Howe patent, abovementioned, and comprises a radially expansible sleeve it and acomparatively heavy metallic member 55 referred to as a core, the lowerend of said core being tapered or of conical formation whereby it mayreadily enter said sleeve l4 and expand the latter into sealingengagement with the well casing l6 whereby the space between the pumpmechanism and said well casing is sealed 011. As described in said Howepatent, the core l5 enters the sleeve M by the lower portion of the pumpstructure carrying the sleeve being brought to rest in the well whilethe upper portion thereof, including the core I5, continues to descend.In the apparatus shown, the pump is anchored in the well by radiallyexpansible members I I. These radially expansible members ll areactuated by the conical surface of a mandrel I8. Member 18 is normallyheld out of engagement with the member I! during the descent of the pumpinto the well, as shown in Figs. 1, 1a, by the spring legs 14 attachedto mandrel l8 resting in recesses or shoulders 16 on a sleeve 56 on thetubing 50. To displace the lower ends of legs I4 rotary motion may beimparted to the pump barrel .and tubing 22 from the sucker rod by meansof. the interlocking lug 23 carried by the sucker rod and a recess 24 inthe pump head whereby, through interlocking lugs and recesses l9, 2|, onthe tubing 22 and drain sleeve 20, rotary motion will be transmitted tothe tube 50, and

cam surfaces 80 on the latter will move pins I8 radially outward todisplace the legs 14 from the shoulders 16. As the springs 66 normallyretard the movement of sleeve 56, the mandrel i 8 will then advance, soto speak, and enter and expand the anchoring devices l1. Of course,other means may be utilized for determining the position of the pumpvertically of the well.

' By locating the core .15 at the lower end of the working barrel I 3 ofthe pump or at least below the lower limit of movement of the travelingvalve l2, it is apparent that the bore through the tapered portion ofthe core does not constitute a limit determining the maximum interiordiameter of the working barrel. Likewise there is no drain sleevesupporting shell surrounding the barrel which, if present, would serveto restrict or reduce the diameter of the barrel. In other words; theworking barrel being above the core 15, the bore of the barrel islimited only by the-exterior diameterof the barrel, less the thicknessof the barrel material, and the outer diameter of the barrel, of course,is limited only by the bore of the well. In this way, the capacity ofthe pump is greatly increased a factor which is very important wherethere is a large quantity of salt water in the well which must be raisedwith the oil. In wells of this type, i. e., where large quantities ofsalt water are present, it frequently occurs that considerably more oilcan be obtained if the salt water is kept pumped ofi and, therefore, itis desirable to have pumping equipment with very large liquid capacity.Again, in some wells of this type, if the total fluid output isincreased, the quantity of oil will frequently be increased in a largerproportion than the salt water. creasing the capacity of the pump. Forinstance, in one well, the production was 22 barrels of oil and 980barrels of salt water per day, or 2.2% oil and 97.8% salt water, butupon installation of a pump of greater capacity, which gave a totaloutput of 1607 barrels of fluid, the percentage of oil was 2.8% (47barrls) and salt water 97.2% (1560 barrels) from which it is apparentthat increasing the capacity of the pumping equipment resulted in acumulative gain in oil production, since both the total volume of liquidand the percentage of oil present are increased.

In the specific case above mentioned, a 60% increase in. the totalvolume of liquid flowed from There is, therefore, a double gain in in-,

the well gave more than 100% increase in the oil content thereof.

A further advantage in a pump construction such as that disclosed hereinis that the pump shell, which extends from the drain sleeve down 5 tothe anchoring device, may be made considerably shorter than the pumpconstruction such as disclosed in the Howe patent, above mentioned,thereby eifecting economy in the cost of materials. Also, as beforestated, there is no elon- 10 gated drain sleeve supporting shellsurrounding the barrel to impose a limitation on the diameter of thebarrel. I

Where the sealing off devices l4, l5, are positioned at the lower end ofthe working barrel, or adjacent said end, as disclosed herein, it isapparent that sand, debris or other foreign material settling in thecolumn of fluid above the pump will accumulate in and gradually fill upthe space between the pump barrel and well casing when said space isclosed at its lower extremity by said sealing 01f devices. Such foreignmaterials ac-- cumulating in this narrow annular space are verydiflicult to remove. In fact, it is almost impossible to, remove them byagitation of the liquid 25 in the well or even'by washing out the wellcasing through the tubing, as has at times been done with other pumps,with the result that ma- 7 terial accumulatingin this space firmlywedges the pump barrel into the well casing so that it is impossible toremove the pump. It is also entirely possible that the pump becomingwedged in the well might cause the loss of the well itself. For thesereasons, the present pump is provided with means for preventing theentryof foreign material into this annular space from a point above thepump. Such means, here termed a sand ring for convenience, preferablyconsist of one or more annular projections 25 adjacent the upper end ofthe pump. In the present instance, only one ring is shown,.the samebeing carried by the pump head "I, but it will be appreciated thatadditional rings may be provided on said head, or at some otherconvenient location adjacent the upper end of the pump barrel. A ring offlexible material is considered preferable because there will be lesslikelihood of injury thereto while being lowered into or removed fromthe well, but a rigid material could be used if desired. A flexible ringhas the additional advantage in that it can be made to fit more closelyinto the well casing without danger of sticking or freezing". In actualpractice, a synthetic rubber substitute, known in the market as Duprene,a synthetic rubber substitute manufactured by Du Pont de Nemours &Company, of Wilmington, Delaware, has been used for these sand rings, asthis material is impervious to the chemical action of petroleum. Theaction of this sand ring is obvious. It substantially fills the upperend of the 00 space between the outer surface of the pump shell and theinside of the well casing and prevents sand or other foreign particlesfrom settling in the annular space closed ofi' between the pump andcasing by the sealing elements I4, l5. It will be appreciated that thisso-c'alled sand ring is very important in combination with the sealing011 members when. the latter are located adjacent the lower end of theworking barrel, but the use of such sand rings need not necessarily belimited to this particular combination of elements, as there are othertypes of well mechanisms with which said sand rings could be used toprevent said mechanisms becoming permanently lodged or wedged in a well.

Briefly stated, the pump, after being anchored and sealed off in thewell, functions by the traveling valve drawing fluid through theStanding valve 26 at the lower end of the pump barrel on the up-strokeand discharging the fluid from the pump on the down-stroke of saidtraveling valve, the head of the pump being provided with passages 21through which the fluid flows into the well casing which serves as aneduction tube in the present instance, all as is well understood intheart.

To withdraw the pump from the well, the sucker rod l l is raised untilthe enlarged portion on which lugs 23 are formed engages against theinner surface of head In whereupon further pull on the sucker rod willraise the pump barrel and withdraw mandrel l from the packer sleeve l4.Liquid can len drain through the drain sleeve 20. The pump can then beraised to the surface because the gripping action of slips or members I1resists only downward movement of the pump.

What I claim is:

1. In an oil well mechanism, the combination of a cylindrical housingfor the said mechanism adapted to be lowered into a well casing,radially expansible means carried by said cylindrical housing at thelower end thereof and expandable into contact with the well casing toseal the space between said housing and easing, means carried by saidhousing for expanding said expansible means, and means surrounding theupper end of said cylindrical housing for preventing entry of sand andother foreign matter from above said housing into said space.

2. In an oil well pump, the combination of a cylindrical working barreladapted to be lowered in a well casing, an expansible sleeve carried onsaid barrel, a conical member on said barrel adapted-to expand saidsleeve into' sealing engagement with the casing, said conical memberbeing located adjacent the lower end of said barrel and said barrelhaving a substantially unrestricted bore, a plunger in said barrel bore,and means for reciprocating said plunger.

3. In an oil well pump, the combination of a working barrel adapted tobe lowered in a well casing, a plunger in said barrel, means forreciprocating said plunger, and packing means for sealing the spacebetween said barrel and casin said packing means comprising a tubularconical member on said barrel at a point below the lower limit of theworking stroke of said plunger, and

means supported from the barrel expandable ra-- dially by said conicalmember'into sealing engagement with the well casing.

4. In an oil well pump, the combination of a working barrel adapted tobe lowered in a well casing, a plunger in said barrel, means forreciprocating said plunger, and packing means for sealing the spacebetween saidbarrel and casing, said packing means comprising a tubularconical member on said barrel at a point below the lower limit'of theworking stroke of said plunger, means supported by the barrel andexpandable radially by said conical member into sealing engagement withthe well casing, and means for excluding foreign'matter from the upperend of the space between said barrel and casing.

5. In an oil wellpump, the combination of a working barrel adapted to belowered in a well casing, a plunger in said barrel, means tor reclrocating said plunger, and packing means for sealing the space betweensaid barrel and casing, said packing means comprising a tubular coni-'cal member on said barrel at a point below the lower limit of theworking stroke of said plunger, and a radially expandable member securedto said barrel and expandable by said conical member to seal the spacebetween the barrel and well casing, and means below said packing meansfor anchoring said pump in the well.

6. In an oil well pump, the combination of a working barrel adapted tobe lowered in a well casing. a plunger in said barrel, means forreciprocating said plunger, and packing means for sealing the spacebetween said barrel and casing, said packing means comprising a tubularconical member on said barrel at a point below the lower limit of theworking stroke of said plunger, and a radially expandable member securedto said barrel and expandable by said conical member to seal the spacebetween the barrel and well casing, means suspended from the barrelbelow said packing means for anchoring the pump in the well, and meansat the upper end of said barrel for excluding foreign matter above thebarrel from the space between the barrel and casing.

'7. In an oil well pump, the combination of a working barrel adapted to,be lowered into a well casing, a plunger in said barrel, means forreciprocating said plunger in the barrel, packer means comprising anexpansible member secured to said barrel and a conical member on the'barrel for expanding said expansible member for sealing the spacebetween the barrel and well casing, said conical member being locatedbelow the lower limit of travel of said plunger, and an annular shoulderon said barrel adjacent the upper end thereof substantially closing saidspace between from said space foreign matter the well casing above'thepump.

8. In an oil well pump, the combination of a working barrel adapted tobe lowered in a well casing, said barrel having a substantiallyunrestricted bore, a plunger in said bore, means for reciprocating saidplunger, andpacker means carried by the pump at the lower end of theworking barrel for sealing the space between the barsuch as sand in reland .well casing, said packer means comprisr ing an expansible sleevemember and a tubular member engageable in said sleeve for expanding thesame, the bore of the working barrel not being restricted by the bore ofsaid tublflar member.

9.- In an oil well pump, the combination of a working barrel adapted tobe lowered in a well casing, said barrel having a substantiallyunrestricted bore, a plunger in said bore, means for reciprocating saidplunger, packing means carried by the barrel for sealing the spacebetween the barrel and well casing, said packing means comprising anexpansible sleeve and a tubular member for expanding said sleeve, saidtubular member being located below the lower limit of the working strokeof said plunger, whereby said tubular member imposes no limitation onthe cross-sectional size of the bore of said barrel, and aresillentannular shoulder adjacent the upper extremity of said working barrelsubstantially closing the upper end of the space between said barrel andeasing.

" WILLIAM FRED COX.

the barrel and casing to exclude

